Where do you draw the line on overprotective?
One of the comments on my last post about Jasmine taking a header down the stairs was a kind and gentle (thanks!) reminder that Dachshunds shouldn’t go up and down stairs. Which brings me to my dilemma. Should I let her?
We already had Jasmine when we bought this house. One of the considerations I made when we were searching for a house was to try to find one with a first-floor master bedroom. Alas, we didn’t find the right house that had that feature. We sleep upstairs. My art studio will also be upstairs.
The stairs are a standard staircase that is fully carpeted in deep plush carpet. When we first brought Jasmine here, I diligently carried her up and down the stairs. However, she started darting ahead after a little while, and when she had no adverse effects from it, I just let it go and let her climb up and down herself. When I leave the room, she sometimes goes searching for me upstairs. We do have baby gates and we can keep her from going up and down by herself.
Taking her outside to “go” also requires that she go down 5 wide steps off the deck. She zips up and down those as well.
So, I either allow her to do this by herself, or I have to carry her up and down the stairs to go outside, to go to bed, to go up with me every time I go up, etc. This probably means being picked up 20 times per day on average. While I don’t mind doing it (except for MY bad back) except for the inconvenience (laundry + dachshund + baby gate = disaster), I’m wondering how many people with dachshunds NEVER have a problem with back issues AND have stairs.
Now given that Jasmine has already had IVDD, I know that it’s time for me to be much more proactive about her health and stop being lazy about the stairs. But I really want to know the science behind this rather than the “experts” just stating that “stairs are hard on Dachshund backs.” Does anyone have any insight into the cause/effect of stairs on Dachshund IVDD? Do you let your little darlings do the stairs themselves? And have they had any issues? Inquiring minds want to know. Please leave a comment. Also, here’s a poll…let’s see how many people do let their Doxies take the stairs:
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We let Darwin & Scoobie go up and down the stairs from the kitchen to the deck and from the deck to the yard. There are few steps & they are fairly wide. But inside the house, we have uncarpeted, hardwood stairs between the upstairs living area (kitchen, dining/living room, bedrooms, bathroom) and the the downstairs (media room, laundry, office). the dogs are carried up & down those stairs for their down protection, as a slip would lead to a crash landing on a tile floor. We want to avoid that!
I never let my mini dachshunds do stairs or jump on or off the furniture. I’m too scared of IVDD and surgery. I had a simple ramp built off of our back deck for $75. Here is a link to a picture http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_LJ-pkWyQR9U/ShMAK_i75ZI/AAAAAAAABr4/bX_S54aJ4Ao/s400/snow+storm+2+002.jpg
The dogs took to it right away. I also have ramps (Doxie-Ramp) for my dogs to go up on the couch and bed. I figure ramps save on expensive back surgery and heartache.
Ruby & Penny’s mom
I have lot’s of stairs (house has 3 levels) and use gates to keep my mini doxie from running up and down. Every once in a while – for example while I’m carrying the loundry basket, she will sneak off on her own. She has gotten better and is usually not taking advantage of an open gate… I have an indoor ramp (http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=2874) that I purchased for her first birthday – it is now over 5 years and still working great!
My vet has pointed out that most people would not carry their dog up and down the stairs and doxies don’t always end up with IVDD but there is no guarantee. Sophie is at a good weight for her size and walks at least a mile every day, but my attitude is the same as Penny and Ruby’s mom, if I can minimize risk – why not.
I love reading about how well Jasmine is doing and I like to think all my babies are in such wonderful homes. (I’ve tried requiring every adopter to keep a blog like you but somehow the new families don’t follow my instructions!).
As to Jasmine’s back and stairs – I’ve been very lucky never to have to deal with a back problem. However, another foster dog had issues and had to be on crate rest . Months and months after recovering, the elevator in the bldg broke and his mom let him go up and down the stairs. He ended up needing surgery and died from ascending micro malaise.
This so freaked me out that I immediately ordered a ramp for the bed (since I don’t have stairs)
I would suggest building a ramp on your stairs -ugly maybe but easier than carrying up or down. (There must be some way to hold a board in place that Jasmine could learn to use.)
Good luck!. I’m looking forward to hearing about Jasmine and snow.
Lindy! Nice to hear from you!!!
I think the flight of stairs might be a little steep for the stairs. I’ve resorted to picking her up to go up and down the stairs. What’s nice is that Jasmine has already adjusted to the change in “rules” and generally sits and waits for me to pick her up. She’s not thrilled with being picked up to go up and down stairs (the little “oof” sound she makes is really cute) but she has accepted the rule and goes along. Such a good doggie!
As for Jasmine and snow…we’ll see about that. She’s not thrilled with any cold or wet on her feet…snow…that’s going to be a challenge!
Thanks for keeping in touch!
Hello
My 7 year old dachshund, Noel, passed away about 2 months ago from IDD and he was allowed to use the stairs. On a few occasion, he slipped down the stairs and crashed against the wall. Whether these accidents led to his back problems, I can’t say with 100% certainty but it probably contributed to it. If I could do it over again, I would take the time to carry him up and down the larger of the two staircases which consists of only 8 steps. I would also prevent him from jumping onto furniture. Unfortunately, hindsight sucks.
By the way, I’m really enjoying your posts! Brings back fond memories of my little baby.
I allow Hazel to run up the stairs but thankfully she is afraid to run down.
Is it damaging for a doxie to run up the stairs?
I’m not sure, but given how much Jasmine hunches her back when she runs up stairs, I’m sure it can’t be good for them. I’m now carrying her both up and down the stairs. Better safe than sorry…
I have a wonderful standard dachshund, Scooter, who is 4 yrs. old. I just moved to an apartment that is upstairs with inner stairs that lead down to the outer door. The stairs are steep, I believe 13-14 steps. Scooter and my other dog, a lab/pekingese mix, Bruiser, go up and down the stairs when I take them out for their walk. Scooter is a stubborn, obnoxious (and darn adorable!) dog and will fly up or down the stairs like he’s superman. He’s quite graceful and fast, but I have started wondering if I should just take the wind out of his sails and start carrying him up and down. My other dog is about 6, with short legs, stocky build, and he takes his time on the stairs, so I don’t worry as much about him. Scooter, on the other hand, thinks he’s ten feet tall and bullet proof, a little daredevil. I nearly lost him in May after pieces of a collar he chewed and swallowed unraveled and cut up his intestines (over 12″ removed, 2 surgeries, not expected to survive), and so I want to do what’s best for him…and Bruiser. Given that my stairs are so steep and there is no carpeting, I think I’ll start carrying Scooter. If he takes a header and is seriously injured, or worse, I’ll never forgive myself. So, I guess I would say to anyone to assess the stairs, how many steps they are and how steep they are. That could be the real difference in whether a tragedy is more likely. Scooter and Bruiser mean the world to me, they are family, and I want to do what I can to keep them as healthy as possible. I lost my 15 yr. old beagle, Bailey, in July, so I worry a little bit more about my two little “boys.” I don’t believe in “coddling,” but I do believe in prevention where possible. So, yep, I’m going to start carrying my little Scooter, though he will surely protest! He’s in great health, beautifully built, but anything can happen despite a dog’s overall health and size. If I think it’s necessary to carry Bruiser, too, who is significantly heavier than Scooter, I will. I’ll just think of it as being like holding my 22 month old granddaughter’s hand…better safe than sorry.